OAKLAND — A man accused of killing a friend and wounding another man four years ago, over a $500 sale of codeine cough syrup, was sentenced to 50 years to life in prison Thursday.

Hasson Hedgepeth, 22, of Hayward, was convicted of first-degree murder in August for the death of Philip M. Montenegro Jr., 19, and the attempted murder of another man, Brandon Smith, during a shooting on Oct. 24, 2013 in the 2900 block of 106th Avenue in East Oakland.

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Family of Montenegro filled the courtroom Thursday morning at the Rene C. Davidson courthouse before Judge Kevin Murphy to read emotional testimony into the record. Montenegro’s mother and sister, and Smith, shared testimony. His sister said everyone loved him, and that he wasn’t a mean or angry person.

Hedgepeth’s attorney read a letter from him, apologizing to the family and asking for them to forgive him one day.

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The trio had met for a cough-syrup sale of about $500 that night, but things went sour when the two victims thought Hedgepeth was trying to sell them an inferior brand. The codeine syrup, an opiate, can be used to get high.

Hedgepeth, who took the stand in his own defense, said during the trial that Montenegro was his friend and that he regretted shooting him. But he said Montenegro was acting aggressively that night and suddenly “rushed him.” He knew Montenegro was known to have weapons and shot him in self-defense, he said.

The jury in August deadlocked on the special circumstances of murder during the course of a robbery, which could have added more time to Hedgepeth’s sentence.

Around 5:35 p.m., CHP officers responded to a report of the incident in westbound I-580 lanes at Main Street. En route, officers learned a vehicle's driver said a person in another vehicle brandished a handgun and fired a shot.

In addition to evacuating 10 neighboring homes, deputies restricted pedestrian and vehicle traffic in the area while the sheriff's office bomb squad "safely disposed" of the explosives, officials said.